In the commercial world, it is not uncommon for counterfeit goods to be manufactured, distributed, and sold in direct competition with authentic goods. Counterfeiting has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, especially in the area of consumer goods including goods made from fabric, plastic, leather, metal, or combinations thereof such as clothing, handbags and wallets, perfumes, and other consumer goods. Counterfeiting of financial documents such as bank drafts or "checks" is also widespread in that both the check document as well as the affixed signature can both be of questionable authenticity. Furthermore, counterfeiting and tampering has affected the postal service. Prior art postage metering devices are not secure means for providing evidence that postage has been paid on mailpieces. Likewise, counterfeit postage stamps can be used as a means for circumventing postage payment.
It is common for the counterfeit articles to be of high quality and closely resemble authentic articles. Indeed, counterfeit articles, such as postage stamps, can so closely resemble genuine goods that postal processors readily confuse the counterfeit articles with the authentic articles. Thus, there exists a need for a system and method which enable a user to avoid using postage stamps and instead encode mailpieces with authenticity data by affixing a mark or symbol, and to enable remote postage processing stations to check the marks or symbols, whether affixed to packages or letters or the like, for authenticity thereby indicating that proper postage has been paid. Furthermore, it is desirable that the mark or symbol contain other data such as data used in tracking the mail piece, the origin of the mailpiece, the date of marking, the weigh of the mailpiece, and the like. Heretofore, such a comprehensive system was not available.
Prior art postage meters also lack proper security. There are approximately 1.5 million postage meters in use in the united States alone, which collectively account for approximately $20 billion in postal revenue annually. These meters affix a mark to mailpieces, and are designed to tabulate and record the amount of postage fee disbursed. Such meters are made by several vendors, and are thought to provide inadequate security against fraudulent use to avoid postage payment by physical tampering. In addition, the affixed marks are counterfeited to avoid postage fee payment, and such counterfeit marks are very difficult to readily detect by postal processors. In summary, a secure postal metering system which requires input from the user, the vendor, and the postal service has heretofore not been available.
Certain known prior art systems suggest marking items with different patterns. However, such systems do not suggest a system that directs the marking of items with a selected mark and the detection and verification of the marks at remote locations. The patents described below represent the art in the area of marking and detecting articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,547, issued on Feb. 22, 1994, discloses a method for authenticating articles including incorporating into a carrier composition a mixture of at least two photochromic compounds that have different absorption maxima in the activated state and other different properties to form the authenticating display data on the article, subjecting the display data to various steps of the authenticating method, activation of all photochromic compounds, preferential bleaching of less than all of the photochromic compounds, and/or bleaching of all the photochromic compounds, and subsequent examination of the display data following the various activation and bleaching steps by verifying means to enable authentication.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,205, issued on Aug. 30, 1988, discloses an identification method and identification kit based upon making up groups of microsized particles normally visible to the naked eye with each particle in each group being of a selected uniform size, shape and color. Coded identification is established by transferring a population of particles from a selected number of the groups to the item to be identified and then confirming such identification by examining the marked item under high magnification with a light microscope.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,579, issued on Nov. 18, 1986, discloses a decorative composite article which may be longitudinally slit to form a yarn product which has a combined phosphorescent and fluorescent decorative appearance. The composite article includes paired outer layers of a thermoplastic resin between which is disposed a decorative layer comprising a composition including a colorant component having a phosphorescent colorant and a fluorescent colorant, and a resin binder material. The fluorescent colorant is present in an amount by weight that is up to an amount equal to that of the phosphorescent colorant. The present binder material may be selected from polyester, polyurethane and acrylic polymers and copolymers, with a mixture of butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber and polyurethane composition being preferred.
The composite article is prepared by coating two resin films with the composition, followed by contacting the films with each other on their coated surfaces and applying heat and pressure to bond them together to form the decorative composite article.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,154, issued on Mar. 2, 1976, discloses a method and apparatus for recognizing colored patterns. The method includes encoding the colors of individual picture elements in a fabric pattern by comparing the level of transmittance or reflectance of the picture element at pre-selected wavelengths with stored values representing a reference color to generate a multibit code indicative of the color of the picture element. A comparator used for this purpose incorporates an error either proportional to the wavelength or of constant value so that the output of the comparator will indicate identity with the stored value if the input value for the picture element is within a certain range of the stored value.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,637, issued on Oct. 1, 1974, discloses the impregnation of spaced courses of yarn in a fabric with a material which is not visible under daylight, but which is visible only when subjected to ultra-violet light, so as to provide guide lines for cutting, or measuring indicia to enable visual counting of the number of yards of cloth in a roll from the end thereof without the necessity of unrolling the bolt.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,165, issued on Oct. 31, 1972, discloses a method of marking garments with a substance detectable by magnetic detecting devices. When the magnetized substance on the garment part is detected in a process of making garments, subsequent garment making steps are actuated in response to the detection of the stitching.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,547, issued on Feb. 22, 1994, discloses a method of cutting a sheet with a tool controlled by a computer system and in accordance with a cutting program wherein an operator marks certain particularities directly on the sheet using a fluorescent marker, the sheet is exposed to ultraviolet light while being scanned by a camera, the marking being interpretable as constraints on cutting to be taken into account by the cutting program, and cutting occurs following the instructions interpreted from the encoded pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,706, issued on Nov. 16, 1976, discloses an automatically controlled cutting machine having a support table on which limp sheet material is spread for cutting by means of a cutting tool and includes a marking apparatus to identify key points on pattern pieces cut from the sheet material. The cutting tool and the marking apparatus are mounted on a tool platform for movement to any desired location over the sheet material. The marking apparatus utilizes a needle which is suspended above the sheet material and a dye thread which is laced through an eyelet in the depending end of the needle. Each time a mark is to be generated, the needle plunges downwardly through the sheet material, and dye on the thread is rubbed onto the material at the point under consideration. An indexing mechanism operated with the reciprocating movement of the needle pulls a finite length of thread through the eyelet after each marking operation.
Thus, there remains a need for a system and method for controlling, enabling, and directing marking of items such as mailpieces and enabling detection/cross-validation of the marks so that the mailpieces are uniquely identified and tracked throughout the postal pickup, processing, distribution and delivery system. Still further, the marks should verify authenticity and that the proper postal fee has been paid. In addition, it is desirable that the mark also specify other information such as the origin and the final point or points of distribution of the mailpieces. Furthermore, the markings should be durable and preferably resistant to normal wear and abrasion encountered in the processing and distribution of mailpieces. Still further, the markings should be relatively difficult to remove and, if removed, should preferably render the mailpiece essentially undeliverable or in a condition which prevents distribution if tampered with.